Replacing 7900s GS.

[kayahaze]

Hi i am looking to replace my nvidia 7900s but dont want the latest top end graphics as the they are all £300+ but would like a noted improvement in performance.
I am a pc gamer and would like to keep to Nvidia cards, here is my rig.

Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6600 @ 2.40GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.4GHz
4 Gigs DDR2-SDRAM PC2-5300
NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS x2 Dual
AGEIA PhysX 100 Series PCI Card
Creative SB Audigy 2 ZS (X-FI removed after vista install)
NVIDIA RAID Stripe 500 Gig (Dual HDD config)
Creative Inspire T7900 7:1 Speaker system.
Logitech G15 (Blue) Gamers keyboard.
Logitech MX518 Gamers Mouse.
Saitek Cyborg Evo.
Vista Home Premium SP1 x64

Thanks.

 

[dmex]

Hi Kayahaze,

XFX 8800GT Graphics cards are the second most powerfull cards around, Its either them or the latest 9Series from NVidia...how much do the 8800`s cost where you live?

 

[kayahaze]

Thanks for your reply.
Here are a few Amazon.co.uk: xfx 8800gt i understand the memory size difference but not the rest.

Also Amazon.co.uk: XFX Nvidia 9600GT

I am looking to run 2 but maybe buy 1 this month then the other the following month.

Also am i better with x2 8800gt or 1 880gtx.

Please advice thanks.

 

[dmex]

Morning,

Yeah if you run two in SLI mode, the performance when they are both linked is awesomely beautiful.

 

[kayahaze]

Hi and thanks for your reply, but i think my post was not very clear.

What i meant was are x2 8800gt better than 1 880gtx.

 

[dmex]

Yes they are...Its refered to SLI-mode when you have two graphics cards in operation.

Steven

Hi and thanks for your reply, but i think my post was not very clear.

What i meant was are x2 8800gt better than 1 880gtx.

 

[Bubba]

Hi Kayahaze,

XFX 8800GT Graphics cards are the second most powerfull cards around, Its either them or the latest 9Series from NVidia...how much do the 8800`s cost where you live?

Why the XFX and not the evga just out of curiosity? My (personal) experiences with both is that the XFX cost more and they don't have 24/7 LIVE customer support while EVGA does. Does XFX turn out a better product for some reason? I'm not disputing you, just seeking information.............

 

[Bubba]

Morning,

Yeah if you run two in SLI mode, the performance when they are both linked is awesomely beautiful.

Yeah, I read (and was told) that if you have the two 8800's in SLI it was stupid to pay the extra cash for the new 9800's that I have, that it was almost impossible to see a difference. Of course I didn't HAVE any 8800's lol and stupidly bought the new stuff. I think I would have been more than happy with the 8800's at a considerably lower price than the two 9800gx2's that I ended up buying. I KNOW my wallet would have been happier lol.

 

[kayahaze]

Hi Kayahaze,

XFX 8800GT Graphics cards are the second most powerfull cards around, Its either them or the latest 9Series from NVidia...how much do the 8800`s cost where you live?

Why the XFX and not the evga just out of curiosity?

That was just an example rather than a definite choice, after reading your post i will look at evga also.

Thanks for the info guys a great help.

 

[kayahaze]

Okay i looked for evga and over here there is a big price difference between them and xfx.

EVGA e-GeForce 8800 GT

xfx 8800 gt

Is it worth the price increase?. Also as atm i only have enough to buy one, would there be a noted improvement over my x2 7900 gs sli setup or is it better waiting another month and buy 2 at once.

Thanks.

 

[HexManiac]

2 8800GTs should perform better than 1 8800GTX. The G92 based cards have better shading performance while the 8800GTX has better memory performance. Also remember that the 8800GT's are PCIe 2.0 so insure your mobo is PCIe 2.0 compliant to get the best performance and compatibility. Some people have problems running on mobos that are not 2.0, some do not.

As for the XFX vs. EVGA debate, they are both nvidia reference designs and usually only differ by clock speed. Base your decisions on the value added part of the equation here - tech support, warranty, SWAG. etc. Bubba has mentioned that XFX has horrible tech support. If you don't feel comfortable without the support, factor that in. XFX has a double lifetime warranty while eVGA did not, giving the XFX a higher resale value.

1 8800GTX is better than 2x 7900GTs, so I'd have to think 1 8800GT will be close to being better as well. Also the 8800GT is a DirectX 10 card, giving you a little more eye candy.

Although I use XFX in my system, I do have an eVGA card in one of my other PCs, a BFG in another. I base my decisions on price, so don't consider me a XFX homer by my system config.

 

[fieseler]

8800's are kinda weird. The newer g92 cards are like 8 & 9 series crossovers. I wouldnt bother with the gtx, the younger 8800gts (512mb) is about the same & doesnt drink electricity, also its cheaper.

If going for sli option, not sure if you'd be better off with 2 9600's rather than to 8800gt. Can anyone else clarify which is the better card?

I decided to go with the g92 gts card since its on par with 8800gtx & i can sli later if i want to since it only uses one pcie connector.

P.S Bfg offer lifetime warranty, dont overlook it could be a lifesaver.

EDIT: is the geforce 9 a 45nm based gpu?

 

[r2rX]

Well, there are some options:

If you are a fan of SLi, go for two cards or one GX2 equivelant card (preferably the 9xxx series). There are plenty options which have a decent balance/ration between performance and price.

If you prefer a single solution, obviously, avoid buying two cards or GX2 equivalent cards. In the event you are willing to wait, (and have the cash - whether SLi or single) maybe waiting a bit longer for the 9900 series is worthwhile.

The 7900GS that's in my machine has to be replaced...... But i've opted to wait for the 9900GTX and then upgrade and relax for a while.

....the choice is yours.

r2rX

 

[Bubba]

Okay i looked for evga and over here there is a big price difference between them and xfx.

EVGA e-GeForce 8800 GT

xfx 8800 gt

Is it worth the price increase?. Also as atm i only have enough to buy one, would there be a noted improvement over my x2 7900 gs sli setup or is it better waiting another month and buy 2 at once.

Thanks.

WOW that is a HUGE price difference and yet over here (usa) the XFX is more, but only slightly so, not like the price difference in the links you provided. In your circumstance I would do the XFX lol and save the cash. I could wait on customer support and call back later for that price difference.

It's funny how much the prices for exact products differ in different Countries.

 

[kayahaze]

Thanks for all the great replies it helped a lot.


okay i decided to buy this card Amazon.co.uk: XFX Nvidia 8800GTS

and will add another next month.